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Wednesday, 10 December 2014

SONANCE - Blackflower (Album Review)

Album
Type:
Album

Date
Released:
06th
December 2014

Label:
Self
Released

Blackflower
– Track Listing

1.BELGIUM/BLACKFLOWER
15:55

2.BELGIUM 03:24

3.ATTACHMENT 04:16

4.CONICAL 03:43

5.TEARCE 03:51

Bio

So far comparisons
have been made with with latter era Scott Walker/Bohren & Der
Club Of Gore/Godspeed You! Black Emporer/Badalamenti/Janek
Schaefer/Stapleton and Tibet/Gnaw Their
Tongues/Abandon/Khanate/Corrupted

IKE GHOSTS comes in
two halves, totalling just under 42 minutes. The record is available
on Bandcamp (http://sonance.bandcamp.com/) and is currently drawing
around 300 plays per day since being uploaded on 12/11/2012.

Each part is an
atmospheric heaping of interwoven arrangements, detailed and droned
stretches that subside into sludge filled chasms as the bass pushes
you through the floor and lifts dust from the walls. The record was
written and rehearsed in a confined practice room in which the waves
of sound could literally be felt shuddering up through your lungs and
out of your mouth

Members

Ben - guitar,
screwdriver

Chino - bass

Jamie - drums

Will - guitar

Nick - visuals

Review:

Sonance
finally return after a two year silence with their spellbinding new
album – Blackflower. A 5 song and 30 minute opus packed full of
bleak atmospheric Sludge/Drone/Post-Metal/Doom/Post-Rock/whatever the
fuck you want to call it. These guys are huge faves of ours at
Sludgelord HQ. So I was pleased when they told me they had released a
new album.

The
opening track – Belgium/Blackflower – is an epic nightmarish take
on all things Blackened Sludge with hints of Ambient
Post-Rock/Post-Metal being moulded into your worst nightmare. The
vocals when they finally arrive are bleak and full of menacing
intent. Sonance mean business here. I have called these guys –
Sonic Terrorists – in the past and that's the best way to describe
them. The way they create terrifying music has to be witnessed for
yourselves. The Post-Rock/Ambient textures adds heavy crushing weight
to the desolate world they have created here. Belgium/Blackflower
will appeal to fans of Neurosis, ISIS, The Ocean and possibly
Corrections House. It's a brutal and enduring journey in sound that
will leave you breathless.

Second
track – Belgium – is a more subdued affair with the band focusing
on Ambient based Post-Rock solitude rather than their violent heavy
riffs. It's a beautifully played piece that shows Sonance know how to
create a blissful song. Though it may disappoint some people who were
expecting more heavy destructive riffs. Well the final 3 songs on the
album will restore your faith in Sonance's musical vision.

Third
Track – Attachment – starts in the realm of drone with
clear/distorted vocals singing a haunting story. It's powerful and
emotional stuff as Sonance crank up the tension with heavy bleak
drone guitars hollowing in the background. The song comes to a
sudden end when things started to become interesting. Maybe Sonance
could of expanded this song for a few more moments as I was slowly
getting more and more into the song.

There
are no such problems with fourth track – Conical – which comes
out you like an axe-wielding mad-man looking for his prey to feast
one. The heavy as hell drums will send chills through your entire
body. The vocals are terrifying as hell as Sonance venture further
into the dark realms of Blackened Sludge Meal with hints of
Post-Metal appearing towards the end.

Last
but by no means least is – Tearce – which is a mixture of ambient
based post-rock droned out riffs though evil is lurking around the
corner with a sinister dronish noise waiting to turn things sinister
one final time. Though it's more of a subdued drone ending than the
heavy bombastic ending that you're expecting. It's a shame Sonance
didn't include another song to this album as it would have been great
to hear one epic violent finish. Other that that, Sonance have
created an intriguing and superb new album that will only enhance
their reputation.

Check
it out for yourselves as Blackflower is available to buy on Buy Now
Download on Bandcamp now.

Band Submissions

To those bands who have recently issued their first demo or album via bandcamp and would like to be featured on our 666 Pack Review or considered for a full review or stream please contact Aaron via email including your EPK, band bio, album file or download code, including artwork.

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We will consider bands from any genre but exclusively stoner, sludge, doom, psych, post-metal, experimental, black-metal etc. (Whilst I would like to respond to every email, this is not always possible.) Thanks